How Do I...

Shan Gray, an Edmond artist and youngest son of an Osage father and European-mix mother, is the designer of the proposed 21-story sculpture, called "The American".
The 217 foot monument made out of 350,000 pounds of bronze will sit on a four-story, limestone-concrete base, bringing the height to 21 stories that will be built to withstand an F3 tornado. At one time, the proposed site for the monument was Holmes Peak. According to a KOTV report (4/17/12), the city of Sand Springs is interested in working with Gray.
The sculpture depicts a young American Indian warrior with his hair being blown across his face. His right arm is raised as a bald eagle, wings spread, lands on his shroud-covered forearm.
Visitors will be able to ride an elevator to a platform in the sculpture's mid-section, where plasma television screens will project a 360-degree view from outside. From there, visitors can travel up to an observation area in the head.
According to the proposal, the sculpture will stand 5 feet taller than the Statue of Mother Russia in Volgograd, Russia, which claims to be the world's largest free-standing sculpture. It will be 60 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
The estimated $38 million monument will be privately funded, and once construction starts, it will take about 42 months to complete.
Source: KOTV online article, 4/17/12; Sand Springs Leader, September 26, 2010, p.2; Tulsa World, October 18, 2008, p.A11; Tulsa World, January 13, 2008, p.A8; Tulsa World, April 25, 2007, p.A11.